


The Endgame Protocol

by Megapanda25



Category: Deadpool (Movieverse), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Carol Danvers, F/M, Kinda, Multi, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Not Canon Compliant, Peter Parker is a Mess, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Protective Karen (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Protective Wade Wilson, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Scott Lang is a Good Bro, Slow Burn, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Wade Wilson is a Good Bro, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megapanda25/pseuds/Megapanda25
Summary: Peter Parker is at the end of the line. He's been framed for the murder of a supervillain, his secret identity has been revealed to the world, and he doesn't really know where to turn to. Luckily for him, he still has a few people on his side, including a certain Kree/Human Hybrid he totally doesn't have a crush on. Totally.Also, a certain tech genius/mentor/father figure might not be as dead at the world believed.





	1. The Day The World Turned On Spider-Man

Peter Parker was not having a good day. First, M.J. had rejected him, **over the phone**, which already hurt enough. The two had agreed to continue to be friends when the news report came on. With Beck. With the doctored footage of what happened in Berlin. With the reveal of his secret identity. And suddenly, dating as the least of his problems.

“Um...May?!” Peter shouted as he backed away from the still playing footage, turning around to his aunt staring at the screen with a horrified expression.

“Peter...how...I don’t...what is going on?!” She sputtered, definitive panic shining in her eyes before shaking her head as if the clear it. “We need to leave. Now.”

“Agreed.” Peter muttered, starting for his bedroom, stopping half way and turning to face his aunt, a desperate expression on his face. “You know I didn’t...didn’t kill Beck, right?”

“Of course you didn’t.” May responded automatically, offering him the smallest smile as she answered. “You would never do that. I know that.”

Peter felt a wave of relief with this admission, but he couldn’t help but wish that it shared by the rest of the world. “Call Happy, tell him that we need to leave, now.”

May nodded, and the two rushed into their respective rooms, packing up what they could in such a short amount of time. Peter’s head spun, and he took a few seconds to breathe and stabilize himself.

_ This can’t be happening. This CANNOT be happening. _ He thought to himself, before glancing at the container that currently held his Iron-Spider armor. _ But it is. This is happening...fuck. _

“Peter!” May shouted, breaking him from his stupor. “Happy said he’ll be outside in two minutes! We need to go!”

“R-right. I’m right behind you.” He responded, placing a hand on the container of the suit and allowing the nanobots to flow onto him, initially forming the suit before shifting into their “Covert Mode”, which were a pair of red and black sunglasses. With that, the two Parkers made a beeline for the entrance of their apartment. They made it outside in under a minute, ignoring the stares and shouts of their neighbors and fellow tenants.

Thirty seconds after they got out, a black Audi rounded the nearby corner sharply, coming to a stop in front of the pair. The window rolled down to show the familiar face of Happy Hogan, who looked about as worried as May Parker.

“Get in, both of you.” He said, resulting in May complying right away, getting into the front passenger seat. Peter opened the trunk and placed his hastily packed duffle bag inside, before walking around to Happy’s side and leaning down next to talk to the bearded man.

“Get her to the Compound. I’ll meet you there.” He said, turning away to leave before Happy grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

“Woah, I’m not leaving without you in this car, kid!” He barked, only to fall silent as May placed a hand on his shoulder, sending him a knowing look, resulting in a defeated sigh leaving the chauffeur's mouth as he turned back to Peter. “Stay safe, Peter. See you soon.”

“I’ll meet you there by tonight, promise.” The web-slinger guaranteed, before turning around a booking it down the street, ignoring the shouts and grumbles of passerbyers as he ran. 

Ten minutes later, he arrived at his destination; Storage Unit 274. Another gift from the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D, the unit was more of a mini workshop to make quick repairs to his suit. It currently held his normal suit, as well as a few other gadgets he had been toying with before...well, before he had been designated a criminal.

The large metal door of the storage unit slid upward, clicking all the way. Peter hastily stepped inside, and slid the door shut behind him. After a few seconds, the lights hummed to life and the makeshift workshop that Peter had been using was illuminated. 

“_ Hello, Peter. _ ” Karen greeted from the workbench that his suit current lay on, disassembled but functional. “ _ How are you today? _”

“Honestly, I’ve had better days.” The boy admitted, shucking of his backpack as he approached the bench. “Are all your systems online?”

“_ Yes, as well as the modifications you added since returning from Berlin. _ ” The bot confirmed, before concern slipped into her voice. “ _ Sir, I’m detecting your heart rate is elevated. Are you alright? _”

Peter allowed a noise between a laugh and a shuddering sigh to slip past his lips before shedding his clothes and grabbing his suit and mask. 

“Not exactly.”

\------------

Line Break

\------------

“Mom, have you seen my phone?!” Ned Leeds cried as he frantically tore apart his room, nearly tipping over his Lego Death Star for a third time before moving on to his drawers. “I need to call my friend, it’s an emergency!”

“Did you check under your bed, sweetie?” Sheila Leeds asked in response, prompting the boy to drop to his knees and frantically do what she suggested. After a few seconds, a resolute, “YES!” rang out from the boys room, followed by him practically stumbling out while clutching the device in his hands.

“Huff...found...it…” He sputtered, catching his breath as he hurriedly paged through his contact list, finding the name he was looking for. “Thanks, Mom. I-I’m gonna be busy for a minute so…”

The mother rolled her eyes, but nodded in acceptance as she turned around and walked back into her office, leaving the boy to his devices. Ned finally found the number he was looking for, only missing it the first time due to panic, and tapped it hastily, awaiting the answer as the phone rang.

_ Brrring… _

_ Brrring... _

_ “Ned?” _

“M.J!” The boy practically screeched, pacing his room to try and calm himself down. It wasn’t working, shockingly. “D-did you hear about Peter?! A-a-abou-!”

“_ Ned, calm down! Jesus!” _ M.J. hissed, effectively stunning the boy into silence. “ _ Yeah, I saw the clip. Fake as shit, but it looks bad for anyone who didn’t know about Mysterio’s plan.” _

“So basically everyone but us.” Ned summarized, ceasing his pacing. “Well...what do we do?”

Ned was expecting a snarky comment, or M.J. telling him there was nothing they could do. Instead, he got a long, unnerving beat of silence, followed by the girl’s answer, her voice softer than he had ever heard before.

“We pray that Peter’s safe.”

\------------

Line Break

\------------

On the other side of Queens, Spider-Man slipped out from Storage Unit 274, now clad in his Iron-Spider armor, and climbed the adjacent wall to get a better view of his surroundings.

“Ok, ok. Don’t panic, you can do this.” He muttered to himself as he climbed, pausing as he reached the roof. “Karen, I need you to plot me a course to the Compound, the fastest route possible.”

“Understood, Peter.” The A.I. acknowledged, searching all available routes as she spoke. “Sir, would you like me to contact anyone?”

Peter paused, and though for a moment. Who could he call at his point?

“What are my options?” He finally asked, taking a running start and leapt over to the next building as a potential course to the Compound appeared in his mask.

“_ You’re current contacts are Ned Leeds, _ _ Michelle Jones, Sam Wilson, Scott Lang, Colonel Rhodes, and Carol Danvers. _”

Peter nearly tripped as he heard the last name, sending him sprawling across the open air and landing sloppily on the next rooftop.

“W-what? When did-since when has Captain Marvel been in my contacts?” He asked, recalling the kree-hybrid with a mix of excitement and slight embarrassment. He remembered their first exchange, how...childish he had sounded.

_“Hi. I’m...Peter parker.” _He had stuttered, gazing up at the gorgeous woman floating above him in amazement. To his surprise, a playful--if not flirty--smirk appeared on the woman’s face as she responded. _“Hey, Peter Parker. Got something for me?”_

In the aftermath of the battle, as well as...Tony’s funeral...he had spoken a bit more with the former pilot. He learned about her history, how she had been a fighter pilot, how she lost her memory and was brainwashed by the Kree, and how she fought them alongside Nick Fury and the Skrulls. She left a few weeks later, and he hadn’t heard from her since.

“_Peter..._**_Peter_**_!_” Karen suddenly cried, bringing the boy back to reality. “_Authorities are closing in on your location. It appears we have been spotted._” Sure enough, the distinctive whirling of helicopter blades rang out from behind him, prompting Peter to turn around, his lenses growing wide as two police helicopters came into view. He got back onto his feet, and kept moving along the path that Karen had provided for him.

“Shit, shit! Karen!” He shouted as he ran, ignoring the booming voice ringing out from the helicopter's behind him. “Call someone! Anyone!”

“_ Acknowledged _ .” The A.I. hummed, surprising the webslinger. Her tone was borderline playful as she continued. “ _ Calling Carol Danvers. _”

“WHAT?!” Peter squawked, nearly tripping again, before writing himself and resuming his forward momentum. “NO! Nononononono! Call Rhodey, Karen! Call-”

“_ Um, hello?” _

Peter’s heart thundered in his chest, and not just from the extensive strain of the running he was doing, soon to switch to swinging as he came up on a taller building. 

_ Ok, Parker. You can do this. Just talk like a normal human being. You do it all the time! _

“Heeeeeeeey, Captain! It’s, uh, it’s Spider-Parker. Er, I-I mean, Peter-Man!”

_ ...God Dammit, Parker Luck strikes again. _

_ “...Wait, Parker?” _ Carol finally asked, an inflection of recognition in her tone. “ _ Peter Parker?” _

“Yes, yes! That’s me!” Peter confirmed as he leapt off the last even roof, extending his arm and shooting a web onto the building before his, swing himself around the left side. 

“_ No offense, kid, but...how’d you get this number?” _ The woman asked, her tone switching to confusion. “ _ I’ve only giving my communicator to Wilson and Fury.” _

“I swear to you, I have no idea.” Peter promised as he shot another web, now distinctly aware of one of the helicopters gaining on him. “Listen, the reason I called you is that I...well, short version is the world now thinks I’m a criminal and I need a ride to the Compound.”

An uncomfortable beat of silence passed, and for a moment, Peter thought that the captain had hung up on him. Then, her voice crackled back through his mask.

“_ So...you’re a murderer now?” _She asked sharply, startling Peter to the point that he accidently released his web, sending him a few hundred feet lower before he shot another web and stabilized himself. 

“W-what, no! I didn’t kill anyone!” He pleaded, his heart beating even faster, which he didn’t even think was possible. “Please, j-just listen!”

To his shock, Peter didn’t hear any protests, or denials. Instead, he heard the last thing he expected to; muffled laughter.

“_ Snrk, Parker, it’s alright! I know you’re innocent!” _ Carol revealed, her tone bordering on jovial. “ _ Nick’s explained the situation to me, he’s currently having a heated conversation with a certain news broadcaster. I’m heading out now to pick you up, minding giving me a general location?” _

Peter nearly cried with relief as he realized that things might not be as bad as they seem, that he just might be able to get some semblance of a normal life back. Then his spider-sense registered, ringing through his mind sharply. He turned his body just in time for a bullet to whiz past his head.

And collide with his wrist.

Suddenly, Peter was falling again, intense pain radiating from his left arm as he screamed in pain. Seconds later, his back collided with the cold concrete roof of a building, sending a second wave of pain through his body. 

“_Peter? Peter, are you ok?! Your vitals are fluctuating!" _Karen inquired, her tone surprisingly panicked. The web-slinger found himself unable to answer, the wind knocked out of his lungs and stars swimming at the edge of his vision. 

The helicopters circled the air above Peter, muffled messages blaring from loudspeakers on board. Peter waited for the choppers to land, for the police to come and arrest him, to drag him away and imprison him for a crime he didn’t commit. _May...Happy...I’m sorry…_

All of a sudden, the sky lit up, and a bright light rocked down, touching down on the rooftop a few feet away from him. Seconds later, a beautiful face entered his still swirling vision. The voice of an angel echoed in his ear.

“Parker? Parker, are you ok? Can you hear me?” The angel asked, her voice both comforting and alarming all at once. 

“Heh...pretty angel…” He wheezed, his lungs aching from three simple words. The angel’s face momentarily became relieved, before switching back to worry as she rose to her feet, turning around and shouting something unintelligible to someone he couldn’t see. Suddenly, Peter’s eyelids felt remarkably heavy.

_ I’m safe now. I...I can rest. _

And with that though residing in his mind, he shut his eyes and let the world fade to black.


	2. Wake Up Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wakes up in the Compound, and receives some unexpected news.

Peter’s eyes opened slowly, taking in the dark, dust filled sky above him. A sky he recognized all too well.

_ What? H-how am I back here? _

He sat up, ignoring the spain in his chest as he took in surroundings, his heart sinking deeper. The Avengers lay around him, all either dead or dying among the ruins of the Compound. The battle raged around him, Thano’s forces decimating the remaining Avengers that stood against him.

_ No. No, no no no no no, this can’t be real. This-this is just a bad dream. _

“No, insect.” A voice boomed from in front of Peter, the webslinger raising his head see Thanos, The Mad Titan approaching him, a bloodstained double-bladed sword in one hand, and a broken Iron Man helmet in the other. “This is no dream. This is your reality. Weak, unstable.  _ Unworthy of existence _ .”

Off the last word, Thanos dropped the helmet, allowing it to roll across the ground, stopping in front of Peter. 

“And now, with your pathetic  _ Avengers  _ are gone, I am free to finish my work.” The Titan continued, bringing up his empty hand to reveal the Nano Gauntlet, the Infinity Stones shimmering with untold power within their assigned slots. “For what it’s worth, insect, you fought well. Just not well enough.”

With that, the Titan raised his hand, and prepared to snap his fingers, only for a web to catch his hand, preventing him from doing so. The villain turned to look at Peter, a look of amusement on his face as the webslinger desperately tried to yank the gauntlet off the Titan’s hand.

“Tenacious until the end.” Thanos mused, hefting his sword with a sadistic grin. “I can respect that.”

The sword plunged into Peter Parker’s chest, and his world went white.

\----------

Line break

\----------

A sharp gasp left Peter’s throat as he lunged forward, immediately regretting the action due to the sting sensation that followed from his arm. He blinked, and realized that he wasn’t in his room. In fact, he was in what appeared to be some sort of medical bay, full of high-tech equipment and machines. 

_ “Are you alright, Mr. Parker?”  _

Peter neary jumped out of skin when the voice called out, before he recognized the voice and released an embarrassed chuckle.

“Yeah, I’m ok, Friday.” He confirmed, before glancing around in slight confusion. “Am...am I in the Compound?”

“ _ Yes, you’re currently in the Compound’s medical wing. _ ” The A.I explained, her irish accent familiar and comforting. “ _ In fact, you’re the first one to use it.” _

“Heh, whoops.” Peter responded with a slight chuckle, rubbing his neck absentmindedly. “Um, Friday? Where is everyone? I thought Mr. Wilson and the rest of the Avengers were living here.”

It had been all over the news a few weeks ago. The Avengers had properly reformed, and now back in business. While all the names of the new members weren’t released, the confirmed members consisted of Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, James Rhodes, and T'challa. None of whom were present in the medical bay at this time.

“ _ Currently, T’challa and Mr. Barnes are in Wakanda, and Ms. Maximoff is currently off site tracking down a potential asset. The rest of the Avengers are currently meeting with Nick Fury and Ms. Danvers in the laboratory.” Friday explained. “Would you like me to inform them that you’re awake?” _

“Oh, um...sure.” Peter sputtered, hurriedly looking himself over to make sure he was presentable. He was slightly surprised to find that he was still in his upgraded suit, and noticed his Iron-Spider armor was charging nearby. “Hey, Friday? Are my aunt and Happy here too?”

“ _ Confirmed, May Parker and Happy Hogan are both on the premises. Would you like me to contact them as well? _ ”

“No, that’s alright.” Peter answered, waving his hand dismissively. As much as he wanted to check on his aunt, he needed answers as to his current situation. “I’ll just find them later. Do you mind pointing me towards the lab?”

“ _ Of course, down the hall to the left, I’ll guide you from there _ .” Friday responded, opening the door down the hall. Peter nodded his head in understanding, and started for the doorway. Time meet the Avengers...again.

\------------

Line Break

\------------

_ Go back to Earth, Thor said. The Avengers need someone like you, Thor said.  _ Carol Danvers grumbled mentally.  _ Of course the day I come back is the day shit hits the fan. _

The hybrid thought all of this as she leaned on one of the walls of the lab as Nick Fury argued with both Sam Wilson and Bruce Banner over the current situation regarding Peter Parker. Carol herself was pissed at the former spy, his actions having put an innocent boy in the position he was never made for, and resulting in him getting framed for a murder he didn’t commit. Clearly, the Avengers shared her disposition. 

“What the hell were you thinking, dragging that kid into something like that?!” Sam demanded, glaring venomously at Nick as he paced the room. 

“I didn’t have a lot of options, did I?” He asked in response, not even flinching as a green fist slammed into a tabletop, making the rest of the rooms occupants jump.

“You put Peter in the line of fire, without giving him choice!” Bruce roared, the green-skilled man’s anger clearly reaching a boiling point. “You could have called us!  _ Any of us! _ ”

“Could I?” Fury interjected, barley raising his voice past his normal speaking level as he scanned the room. “Would even one of you have actually come to work with me?” 

A crushing silence stretched, resulting in Carol looking at the other’s faces as well. Sam and Bruce both wore definitely pissed off expressions, still glaring at the one eyed man. Scott Lang, otherwise known as Ant Man, looked more conflicted, glancing around as if he was searching for a consensus. Rhodes's face was completely blank, which made it all the more surprising when he stepped forward, drawing Fury’s attention.

“Honestly? After everything you’ve put us through, all shit that you’ve brought our way?” he asked, before shaking his head in disappointment. “Yeah, I still would have came. But instead, you took a kid- ** _Tony’s kid_ ** \- and turned him into a weapon for your own personal use. Not an asset or a teammate. A weapon.”

The rest of the heroes missed it, but Carol noticed the way Fury flinched when Rhodes said  _ his  _ name. He’d die before he admitted it, but deep down, Nick Fury always had a soft spot for Tony Stark. His death had affected the Nick more than he’d ever say, but Carol saw it in they spy’s eyes...or, eye. Fury sighed deeply and turned to face the Avengers fully, his expression harder than ever. 

“Speaking of which, there’s is a reason I came here today.” He admitted, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Before he could continue, however, the door to the lab slid open, and all eyes flicked over to see who entered.

“Um...is this a bad time?” Peter Parker asked, an uncertain expression on the boy’s face. Carol was a bit surprised to see the boy up and about, only a few hours after getting shot and crashing into a building, but from what she had seen in past footage of the webslinger’s escapades, he healed fast. Judging by the suprise on the rest of the Avenger's faces, they were suprised as well.

“Actually, you’re right on time, Parker.” Fury answered, ignoring the glare from Wilson as he gestured the boy forward. “As an Avenger, you should know this information as well.”

Peter obeyed, and stepped a bit farther into the room, offering a nod to Scott as he passed him. Once he was in place, Fury continued.

“Now, since I know this issue of Beck is going to come up again, I’ll settle it now: Should I have brought Parker into my operation? No.” The spy admitted, making Sam raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Am I going to apologize for it? Also no. Parker did his job,and ended up saving a lot of people. That said, if an event comes up where I need the assistance of an Avenger again, I will inform you properly this time.”

“Don’t you mean  _ ask  _ us properly?” Scott interjected, prompting a short laugh from Sam as he shook his head.

“No he doesn’t.”

Fury managed a rare smile at that, before his expression became serious once more.

“As for my second point, the situation is a bit more...sensitive.” Fury continued, his gaze flicking to Peter Parker. “You might wanna sit down for this, Parker.”

All eyes flicked back to the brunette, who felt a bit self-conscious with the sudden attention shift. He hardened his expression, and shook his head.

“I can handle it, Mr. Fury. Same as them.” He answered, missing the way both Sam’s and Carol’s lips quirked up at the open defiance. Fury’s smirked slightly again, which made his answer all the more shocking to hear.

“Tony Stark is alive.”


	3. Return of Stark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Carol consider their respective futures, and Tony Stark returns...in the flesh?

“You doing alright, kid?”

Peter Parker jumped in surprise and turned to face Sam Wilson, who leaned on the entrance to the websliger’s room. He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped as he considered the question.

He wasn’t sure how he felt. On one hand, Tony was alive! He was coming to the Compound today, along with Mr. Barnes and that Panther guy. Apparently, that had been their mission in Wakanda Friday was referring to. If it really was Tony, then this was...amazing! His mentor, someone he considered a father, would be back!

On the other hand, it had been two months since Thanos’s defeat and Tony’s supposed death, and they had just now heard from him. That...that didn’t sit right with Peter.

What if it wasn’t  _ really  _ Tony? What if it was Beck’s crew, or even just some imposter or villain trying to get the drop on the Avengers? There were so many ways it could all go wrong, so many ways he could end up losing Tony all over again.

“...I don’t know, Mr. Wilson.” He finally muttered, trying his best to muster up a weak grin. “I want to believe that Mr. Stark is alive, but...I don’t want to risk the chance that he’s not.”

Sam nodded in understanding, offering the boy a small smile. “Well, if it eases your nerves, Bucky and T'challa vouch for him. It seems like he’s the real deal. Hell, even if he’s not, then we take care of it together.” 

“Yeah...yeah, I guess you’re right.” The boy admitted. before standing up and taking a deep breath. “Um, Mr. Wilson?”

“Sam, kid.” He corrected, smiling good-naturedly. “You can call me Sam.”

“Right, Sam. If you have time, could show me around the Compound?” Peter asked, flashing his own awkward smile. “I haven’t really gotten a chance to explore with everything that was going on.”

“Sure, I got some time.” Sam answered, Starting down the first hallway. “Let’s get you acquainted with the new crew, web-head”

Peter nodded, walking alongside the man and privately hoping that a proper tour would distract his mind from what was to come.

\------------

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\------------

“So, are you just visiting Earth to save a certain spider’s ass, or are you joining the Avengers for real this time?”

Carol Danvers didn’t even turn before punching the last training droid she had been sparing with, allowing a chuckle to leave her lips.

“Still not sure.” She answered, frowning slightly as she scanned the training room, now littered with the remains of drones which she had been using for target practice and hand-to-hand combat. “You think they’ll care about the mess?”

“Stark put in an auto-clean function after using the Hulk to test run this thing, so no. I think you’ll be fine.” Fury answered, crossing his arms as he watched the captain diligently. “Why the conflict on staying?” 

Carol sighed, and turned to face Fury fully, shrugging her shoulders loosely. “I don’t know, Nick. I mean, do I really belong here?” She asked, gesturing to facility around her. “I’ve been working alone for  _ years _ , why should I switch it up now?”

“Why not?” The former spy asked, an unamused look still present on his face. “You work well with the Avengers, and they definitely need you these days.”

Carol considered her old friend’s words, and found some truth in them. Even after the Blip and Thanos’s defeat, the world was a dangerous place, one that could use a fully assemble Avengers. She sighed, and nodded decisively as she climbed a set of stairs leading to the entrance of the training arena, where Fury stood.

“Ok...how about I consider it, and we call it a temporary draw?” She asked playfully, coaxing a miniscule smile out of Fury, who raised his hands in surrender.

“Fine, but we will be discussing this further, Danvers.”

With that, the two moved to exit the room, resulting in the captain nearly colliding with Peter Parker, who stumbled and fell in an attempt to correct himself. 

“C’mon kid, I thought you had some kind of six-sense to prevent shit like that.” Sam teased, standing alongside the fallen webslinger with an amused smirk. Carol shot the man a short glare before offering Peter a hand, which he gratefully took. 

“Thanks, Ms. Danvers. Sorry about that, I’m just...thinkin’ about some things.” The boy apologized, only to receive a dismissive wave of the hand from the blonde.

“No worries, Parker. I get it.” She replied, shooting him a smirk. “Besides, I know that I am pretty distracting. Perks of being stunning.” 

“Heh, no kidding.” Peter mumbled, before realizing the implications of his reply and turning a bright scarlet. Luckily, fate was on his side for once, as Bruce Banner leaned around the far corner of the hallway and called over to them.

“Hey, T’challa and Barnes are five minutes out, we’re meeting up in the hanger!”

“Gotcha, Bruce. We’ll be there shortly.” Sam responded, before turning back to his companions and nodding. “Well, here we go. You guys ready?”

“Ready.” Fury confirmed, his hand falling to his side and hovering over his holstered pistol.

“Let’s move.” Carol added, and with that, the three moved down the hallway and towards the hanger. Peter lingered a few moments longer, taking a deep breath and steeling himself for what to come. 

_ I can do this...I can do this. _

With that thought in mind, Peter followed his friends, hoping that whatever would be waiting for him in the hanger would help him, instead of hurting him.

\------------

Line Break

\------------

By the time Peter joined the others in the hanger, the Quinjet was landing. He glanced around as he arrived, noting everyone who was present. Sam, Rhodey, and Bruce took up the front, while Fury, Scott, and Carol stayed behind them. 

The hatch of the jet slid open, revealing both Bucky Barnes and T’challa, who stepped out as the ramp descended.

“Barnes, T’challa.” Sam greeted, offering the pair a small smile. “How was Wakanda?” 

“Shuri was happy to see us again, and is still requesting access to our labs.” T’challa answered, allowing his own smile. “I told her that she is welcome, as long as she can get her own ride.”

Sam chuckled softly, before his expression hardened once more and he asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“So, where’s Tony?” 

The former soldier and king glanced at each other, before T’challa shrugged and stepped out of the way of the ramp. “Knowing him, I’d assume he preparing some kind of entrance.”

Sure enough, the taillights on the Quinjet suddenly flared to life, flashing through a series of red, yellow, and white as a certain guitar intro from “Shoot To Thrill” blared from within the cockpit. From the ramp itself, the genius, billionaire, playboy himself emerged...looking very different.

He looked younger, wearing his Black Sabbath shirt and a pair of jeans, and most surprisingly, his entire form was a light, semi-translucent shade of blue. As he reached the end of the exit ramp, he waved his hand dramatically, bringing the light show and music to an end.

“ _ So, what do think? Too flashy?”  _ He asked playfully, nearly oblivious to the stares and gawks he was receiving. “ _ Yeah, guess it was a bit much, but hey! You only come back from the dead once, amiright?” _

“...Tony?” Rhodey asked, his voice quiet but certain. Tony looked at his old friend, and smiled gleefully.

“ _ Hey there, Platypus. Still grumping about?”  _ he asked, going to clap the man on the shoulder before his hand phased through Rhodey’s arm, prompting a noise between a scoff and a laugh.  _ “Damn, I gotta get used to that.” _

“Mr. Stark?”

Just like that, Tony’s smile slipped slightly, and he turned around to see Peter, who had tears forming on the edges of his eyes. “Is...is it really you, Mr. Stark?”

Silence crossed the room for an agonizing series of seconds. Then a soft, kind smile grew on the genius’s face, and he greeted the webslinger with three words.

  
“ _ Missed you, Underoos. _ ”


	4. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter chats with Tony and Carol, and Wanda finally finds her potential asset.

“ _ So, let me get this straight. _ ” Tony started, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “ _ I die for two months-TWO. MONTHS.-and you’ve managed to turn Cap into an old man, allowed some nutcase to destroy parts of Mexico, Italy, Prague, and London, and letting that same nutcase frame Peter for murder?” _

“That about covers it all, yes.” Fury confirmed, leaning against the far wall of the command room. “You’ve come back to quite the mess, Stark.”   


“ _ No shit, sourpuss.”  _ Tony snarked, sighing as he released his nose and gazed out of the window he was standing before, scanning the grounds of the rebuilt Avengers compound. “ _ What’s our roaster look like?” _ _   
_

“At the moment?” Fury asked, shrugging his shoulders loosely. “Wilson, Barnes, Banner, T’challa, Rhodes, Lang, Maximoff, and Parker. Danvers and Strange are considering joining, and Maximoff is currently hunting down another potential asset.”

A short laugh erupted from the holographic man, who turned to face the former spy with a small smile. 

“ _ Well, it’s a bigger lot than usual.”  _ He admitted, before his expression darkened. “ _ What are you doing regarding Beck’s video?” _

“Hill and some...friends of mine are taking care of it.” Fury explained, ignoring Tony’s cocked eyebrow as he continued. “Both in the sense of discrediting the sources and finding what remains of Beck’s team.”

“ _ What remains, huh?”  _ Tony asked, his grin returning. “ _ That implies there are members who have, ahem, “disappeared under mysterious circumstances”?”  _

“Would it really matter to you?” Fury retorted playfully, noticing the genius shake his head.

“ _ After what they did to Peter?  _ ** _Not even for a second._ ** ” He admitted, a dark quality entering his voice.

“Well, it’s nice to see we’re in agreement.” Fury scoffed, before turning around and heading for the door. “I’ll keep you updated on my teams progress.”

“ _ Sounds good.”  _ Tony answered, shooting Fury a smile as he left. “ _ See you around, Nick.” _

The former Shield director left, and the automated door closed once more. A few moments of silence followed before Tony chuckled, and glanced up at the air vent above the door.

“ _ You need something, Pete? Or are you just gonna keep skulking around up their like Clint used to?” _

“Mr. Barton crawled in the vents?” The boy asked, before realizing his mistake and muttering something likely explicit before kicking open the vent, and dropping down before the man before him, who offered a playful grin.

“ _ Yup. Ol’ Legolas used to crawl around up there, said it was, “To ensure security measures”, as if someone was really gonna sneak into a facility full of superheroes here through the ducts.”  _ He explained, still smiling as he arched an eyebrow at the web-slinger before him. “ _ So, what’s up, kid? Door’s just not your style, or..?” _

“Oh, well...I just wanted to talk to you about...jeez, about everything.” Peter confessed, allowing his smile to slip slightly. “It’s been a wild few weeks.”

“ _ You’re telling me, kid.”  _ Tony snarked, though his tone softened with his expression.  _ “Well, I got all the time in the world. Hit me with it, Pete.” _

Even now, after everything that happened, all the twists and betrayal and death, Tony Stark was still Tony Stark. Peter couldn’t help but admire that.  So, he spilled. He told Tony about the last two months; his school trip, Fury, Mysterio, the aftermath, all of it. Needless to say, Tony was a bit floored after he heard everything he went through.

“ _ You-you got hit by a fucking  _ ** _train?!” _ **

There was also that.

“W-well, yeah, but I was fine when I woke up!” Peter protested, waving his hands wildly. “Um, kinda fine. Happy needed to stitch me up, but I was totally fine afterwards!”

“ _ Totally fine, my ass!”  _ The genius retorted, rubbing his temples in frustration. “ _ Jesus, I need a drink.” _

“Um, Mr. Stark? Is that even possible anymore?” Peter asked, resulting in a look of realization on the man’s face before he let out a groan of disappointment.

“ _ Well, this has been an enlightening evening, but I think it’s about time I settle down, figure out if I have a sleep mode or something.” _ Tony groaned, now rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

“Oh, yeah. Cool.” Peter conceded, starting towards the door. “Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”

“ _ Hey, kid?” _

Peter turned back around, seeing his mentor smiling at him.

“ _ Wanna work on your web shooters tomorrow?”  _ Tony asked. _ “I’m waiting to see this new suit you’ve made.” _

Peter couldn’t help but beam at the offer, and nodded excitedly. 

“Y-yeah! Sounds good, I’ll see you tomorrow then!”

With that, he walked out of the command center, leaving the holographic man to his devices.

\-----------

Line Break

\-----------

“Hey, Peter Parker. What are you up to?”

Peter jolted as Carol Danver’s voice rang out from behind him, resulting in him nearly dropping his phone off the side of the roof he was sitting on, hastily catching it while the former pilot laughed.

“Jeez, I didn’t mean to scare you, kid!” She explained, still smiling as she sat beside the frazzled webslinger, who managed a thin chuckle.

“Yeah, of course. It’s fine.” The boy apologized, raking a hand through his hair nervously. “I just kinda spaced out.”

“Something on your mind?” Carol asked, quirking an eyebrow at the teen, who sighed and nodded in confirmation.

“I’ve just been considering calling my friends to let them know I’m alright, but I don’t know if I should.” Peter explained. “I mean, I should definitely call Ned, he’s my best friend and tech guy, but MJ...I’m not so sure I should call her.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Carol questioned, another smirk gracing her features. “Worried she’ll freak out about the whole, “Spider Man” thing?”

“Oh, no. She already figured that out.” Peter answered. “It’s just...things are a little weird between us right now.”

Off the hybrid’s confused expression, he sighed again and admitted the one thing he didn’t want to.

“I kinda asked her out, and she shut me down. Hard.”

Just like that, the captain’s expression became one of sympathy, if not a touch of agitation. Perhaps that second part was just in his head.

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that, kid.” She comforted, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving him a gentle squeeze. “It sucks getting rejected, but you know what the best way to deal with it is?”

“Give up for the foreseeable future and cry for an hour or two?” Peter quipped, coaxing another laugh from his companion, who shook her head. 

“No, genius. Get back out there, find a new girl.” She explained, shooting him a smirk. “Hell, I’ll even be your wingman if you need some help.” 

That got a laugh from the boy, who smiled as he watched the stars above him. 

“Thanks, Ms. Danvers. I’ll consider it.”

“Carol, kid. You can call me Carol.” She clarified, shooting him one last smirk before standing up and stretching. “Welp, I’m gonna hit the hay. See you tomorrow, Parker?” 

As Carol asked the question, she turned around and offered Peter a hand. As he took it, he gazed up at her and saw that same gorgeous woman who flew down in the middle of the raging battle against Thanos, smirk and all. His heart started to beat a little faster.

“Yeah. See you then, Carol.”

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\-------------

“Hey, Freaky Friday! Whatcha up to?”

Wanda Maximoff slowed her pace and slowly turned around, her gaze settling on her target. The man was clad in what looked like a red and black suit and mask, equipped with a series of pouches, gun, and two swords on his back. Judging by the way his hands hovered over both his pistol holsters, he was expecting a fight.

“I’m looking for someone. I have a proposition for him.” She answered calmly, half expecting the man to just pull his pistols and start firing. He didn’t...yet.

“Oh? What, like an offer he can’t refuse?” He quipped, tilting his head in a quizzical manner. “Who  _ are  _ you, exactly?”

“My name if Wanda Maximoff.” She greeted, allowing the smallest smile to grow on her lips as the man’s posture straightened out, his eyes widening in surprise. “And I’m looking for Wade Wilson.”

"Oh." The man replied after a few seconds of silence. "Shit."


	5. Resurgence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol goes missing, and an old enemy resurfaces.

It had been two weeks since Peter had arrived at the Compound, and despite his current situation, he found himself in fairly good spirits. 

  
May had adjusted nicely to the Compound, and actually managed to make a few friends on the staff, with the help of Happy, who insisted on watching over her. Peter had also talked to Ned, who was also adjusting nicely to openly being a friend of Spider-Man.

Surprisingly, the heat regarding Beck’s video was starting to die down, partially thanks to Fury’s team and their “clean-up” efforts, while also do to other news sources siding with Spidey and actively disproving the video. Despite this, Sam offered to let him stay at the Compound as long as he wanted, which Peter accepted.

In his time there, Peter had gotten a lot more friendly with the Avengers. He had cooked lunch with Scott and Wanda, which had somehow ended in half the kitchen catching fire. He had also worked on his tech with Tony and Bruce on a near daily basis, with the occasional assistance from Rhodey. He started a training regiment alongside Carol, put together by Sam for the “new Avengers”.

As it turns out, Captain Marvel was officially joining the Avengers. When Peter asked why, all he received in response was, “A friend convinced me.” Since then, the pair had been hanging out a bit more, mostly just talking or sparring.

“Hey, Spider-nerd. Whatcha up to?”

Oh yeah, and then there was..._ Wade _. 

Wade Wilson had been brought in by Wanda Maximoff one week ago, apparently under the order of Nick Fury. From what Peter had learned, Wade was a mercenary by the name of Deadpool, a mutant with regenerative abilities. He’d taken up a similar role as Mr. Barton after the decimation, target criminals that survived.

While Fury had insisted that Wilson was just a security measure and not an actual Avenger, that made it all the stranger to see the usually red clad man strolling around the grounds or cooking in the kitchen. That said, he really wasn’t awful company, despite his...unique sense of humor.

“Hey, Wade.” Peter greeted, continuing to adjust his web shooter without looking up. “Just calibrating my web shooters. They’ve been a little slow since my last spar with Ms. Danvers.”

“You don’t say…oh, something shiny!” Wade stated idly as he fiddled with a welding rod nearby, only to yelp as it was snatched away from him by DUM-E, who placed it next to Tony, who had been watching in mild vexation.

“_ So, what brings you to my lab, Wilson? _ ” The genius asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the red-clad man pointedly. _ “You need something, or are you just here to break some of my stuff again?” _

“That happened on time, and I swear that bot was looking at me funny!” Wade insisted, earning and eyroll from Tony and a chuckle from Peter. “Look, I came down here ‘cause One-Eyed Willie sent me. You two are needed in the command center.”

Immediately, Peter and Tony looked to each other. With a simultaneous nod of their heads, the former blinked out of existence and appeared in the command center while the latter equipped his web shooters and started swinging towards the same center. Meanwhile, Wade just grumbled as he walked back, like a normal person.

Eventually, the web slinger arrived, entering swiftly. He found Nick Fury, Tony, and Wanda waiting for him. Fury offered the boy a curt nod before turning to the other heroes and speaking. 

“As I was saying, we have a situation in Queens.” He started, gesturing to a video feed on the wall to his left. “What seems to be a Hydra cell has raided a bank in an attempt to get more funds for their ever shrinking operation.”

“_How the mighty have fallen.” _ Tony snarked, before addressing Fury himself. “_So, how are we dealing with it?” _

“Lang is on site, and Wilson, Rhodes, and Danvers are en route.” The older man explained, cracking a rare smile. “They’ve been itching for a fight.”

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“Jackson, hurry the fuck up!” The Hydra squad leader barked, hefting the second to last bag of bills into the armored truck they had arrived in. 

The operation had gone smoothly enough, and they had collected enough money to last them another few months. After the Blip, it had become hard to get back to business with the Avengers at full strength once more. 

“Jackson! The hell is taking you so damn long?!” He shouted once more, only to receive a pointed “Ahem” in response. He whipped around and raised his rifle, and froze as he came face to face with the Avenger’s newest member.

“Hey there, boys.” Captain Marvel greeted, her hands glowed a dim yellow as she smirked. “So, we gonna do this the easy way, or are you looking to get rough?”

The soldiers collectively answered with a barrage of gunfire, letting loose on the captain. She didn’t even flinch as she fired a blast of energy into the squad leader, before rolling behind a wall and out of the line of fire.

The soldiers started to advance on the obstructed woman, reloading while keeping their weapons trained on the area where she had been standing. As they did this, however, a small red dot on one of the soldier’s guns suddenly got very large, as Ant-Man yanked the weapon from the man’s hands and kicked him into his ally.

“Heads up, guys!” He quipped before shrinking again to dodge the soldier’s gunfire. A second later, a distinct whirl filled the air as the two remaining soldiers were blasted into the far wall, followed by War Machine making a three point landing a few feet away. 

“You still with me, Scott?” The armored man asked, scanning his surroundings for the other Avenger. Sure enough, Scott popped into existence next to him, sending his teammate a thumbs up.

“Yeah, I’m good!” Scott confirmed, beaming beneath his helmet. A few seconds later, a blast of yellow soared past both heroes and collided with the last HYDRA soldier.

“And that’s game.” Carol quipped, tapping her commlink and speaking as it hummed to life. “Wilson, we’re all clean here. What’s your status?”

“_Last truck should be stopped now.” _ The new Avengers leader reported. “_Mind doing so recon so I can be sure?” _

“I’m on it.” Rhodey and Carol answered simultaneously, before shooting each other matching glares. 

“I’m faster than you, Rhodes. I got this.” The captain insisted before launching into the air before the armored man could retort. She soared above the bank and surrounding cityscape as she scanned for any remaining vehicles. Sure enough, a lone, black truck matching the other three they had intercepted sped down a distant alleyway. “Alright, I’ve got eyes on one more truck. I’ll take care of it.”

“_Say again, Carol. Did you say another truck?” _Wilson asked as Carol flew down towards the truck, which pulled into a large grey warehouse, a metal door closing as soon as the truck made it inside.

“Yeah, another truck. Why?”

“_Because they only had t-” _Wilson tried to explain, before Carol’s comms erupted with static, making her shout in surprise and turn them off. She hovered briefly outside of the warehouse, weighing her options before charging through the doors. 

She was shocked, however, to find the building completely empty. Hell, the darkness within was barely even affected by her powers, a dim yellow glow only shining a few feet into the crisp black void.

_ What the hell? _

Suddenly, she felt something stab into her neck, and her entire body felt weaker. She thrashed in an attempt to get free, but it was pointless. Whatever had her was slowly draining her, her entire body feeling heavy. She fell to her knees, her breaths now frantic and heavy. As her eyes began to shut, she swore that green mist started to creep out of the darkness towards her.

Then she was gone.

\---------------

Line Break

\---------------

“_Wilson, where the hell did she go?!” _Tony hissed, frantically throwing around screens and analyzing signatures as the Avengers in the field searched for their newest member. Fury was also scanning screens and video feeds, while Peter and Wanda just stood to the side. The later eyed the former curiously as he drummed his fingers nervously on his arm.

“She’ll be fine, Peter.” Wanda assured him, coaxing a smile from the web-slinger.

“Thanks, Wanda.” He muttered, before the doors of the command center opened, revealing a winded Wade Wilson.

“What...the fuck...did I...miss?” He sputtered as he tried to catch his breath, ignoring the duel glares he received from Stark and Fury.

“Danvers is MIA.” Fury answered coolly, resulting in a bemused look from the merc with a mouth.

“What the f-Just trace her damn energy signature!” 

“_We tried that, jackass. Something is masking it.” _Tony replied without hesitation, before the communication line chirped with another voice.

“_Tony, I think I found where she went.” _ Wilson reported. “_I’m transmitting my view now.” _

Sure enough, a new perspective popped up the main screen of the room, catching everyone’s attention. A battered, grey warehouse with a whole punched into one of its walls came into view. Wilson entered the building, and found it shrouded in darkness.

_ “I can’t see a damn thing. Activating night vision.” _ He informed them, before the screen went green, displaying a slightly brighter room. Peter physically felt the air leave his lungs as he spotted several dark splotches on the ground. Wilson noticed them to, and moved towards them to inspect. “_Christ. It’s blood.” _

“Holy shit.” Wade muttered, clearly put off by this knowledge to the point that he really had nothing to say. Tony suddenly reached out and adjusted the view, zooming in on what looked like a canister lying a few feet away.

“_Wilson, what is that?” _

Wilson followed the instruction, and picked up the canister and inspected it. It was no bigger than his forearm, and was completely empty.

_ “Looks like some kind of chemical canister.” _ He mused, turning it over in his hands. “_We should probably analyze where it’s-” _

Wilson fell silent, as did the rest of the command center, as his eyes landed on two words on the side of the canister, in big white letters.

_ Stark Industries. _

“Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, turning to his mentor with a look of shock. Tony looked no better, pulling up another screen and ordering FRIDAY to track that damn product.

_ It appears as though the canister is one attached to the MARK 3 TACTICAL DRONE. _ She informed the team. _ These drones are attached to the EDITH system. _

Immediately, Tony and Fury made eye contact, and a silent agreement was reached.

“Um, what’s the deal with that EDITH thing?” Wade asked. Softly, near silently, Peter answered him.

“The last person to use the EDITH system was Quintin Beck.”

All eyes in the room settled on the web-slinger, who met Tony’s eyes with an undeniable look of fear.

“And if someone used those drones to hurt Ms. Danvers, and it wasn’t us, then...that means…”

** _Beck is alive._ **


	6. Target Acquired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol meets her captors and the Avengers assemble for a new mission.

Pain.

That was the first thing Carol registered as she flickered into consciousness. Her head radiated pain, like she’d been hit by an entire planet head on. It took her a few seconds to even realize that she wasn’t standing, but hanging in the air. She also realizes that her arms were restrained as well. She was being held a few feet off the ground in what seemed like a lab of some kind. Not quite to Stark's level of tech, but clearly not too far off either.

“Oh, you’re finally awake.”

Carol jolted, and her head stung even worse. A harsh, mocking laugh didn’t make the pain any more bearable.

“Well, it’s good to see you’re still alive. I thought William might have gotten the dosage wrong for a while, but here you. The oh-so spectacular Captain Marvel.”

The spite in the man’s tone was audible, almost penetrating, but Carol pushed past it and raised her head enough to look at who was talking to her. And her heart sank.

“What’s the matter, blondie?” Quinton Beck asked casually as he fiddled with his illusion suit. “Never seen a dead man walk before?”

“...H-how?”

  
Carol despised how weak she sounded, and she hated the way the illusionist laughed before he answered.

“How am I alive? Shit, that was the easy part.” He answered with a scoff. “All we had to do was hack EDITH and program her to not detect by biosignature. I let Parker play with my drones while I slipped away. And after that, all I had to do was leak the video of him initiating the attack, and let the world tear him apart.”

And then the smile fell into an angry grimace rose on his face, and he looked up at the restrained hybrid with barley restrained rage.

“And then _ you _came along and fucked it all up.” He spat venomously. “You took Parker back to his precious Avengers, and got Fury back up in my shit. Suddenly, my team is dropping like flies, and the plan I’ve been developing for over a decade is in shambles.”

Beck took a few deep breaths to calm himself, before an evil, conniving smile rose on his face.

“But...thanks to those HYDRA idiots that attacked the bank, we were presented with a… unique opportunity. A chance to put one of the New Avengers in a position of...well, lets just call it compromising for now.”

“Fuck...you…” Carol hissed, eyes glowing definitely. “I’m not...doing anything...for you.”

“Oh, I know that!” Beck confirmed with a hearty chuckle, before flipping a few switches on a nearby panel and twisting a green dial. “All I can tell you is that it’s gonna be out of your hands, dear. The rest is a surprise. Goodnight, o’ captain.”

Suddenly, Carol’s eyes felt much heavier than before. She fought momentarily to stay awake, but found herself slipping away. As she drifted off, Beck turned around and left the room, entering an adjoining one where William and Troy continued to work on drone maintenance.

“How are we looking, Will? How much longer till the program is done?” He asked, startling the mustached man.

“Oh! W-well, technically the program is already done.” William answered as he pushed his glasses up and gestured to the screen. “We already have the data we needed to simulate, after all. Now, we’re just waiting for the drones to update.”

“Alright. It’s game time, then.” Beck hummed, before turning to Troy and nodding with a sadistic grin plastered on his face. “Re-activate her tracking chip. It’s time for a show.”

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“Heya, Spiderling. How you doing?” Wade Wilson shouted as he entered the training room that Peter had been using. The webslinger didn’t even turn around to face the approaching merc with a mouth as he backflipped over the last combat droid before webbing it and flinging it full-force into the far wall.

“Hey, Wade.” Peter greeted between ragged breaths. “I’m-I’m alright. Just a little tired.”

“Well, that is what happens when you trash the same dozen tin cans for two days straight.” Wade mused, before a more serious look crossed his face. “Look, I’m no expert on healthy coping mechanisms, but...I think you might need to rest for a bit.”

In the back of his mind, the briefest spike of anger shot through Peter at the thought of Wade of all people lecturing him, but quickly squashed the feeling. He knew that Wade was right. Punching droids into scrap heaps wasn’t going to get Ms. Danvers back any faster.

“Yeah...yeah, ok.” He admitted, before motioning for FRIDAY to turn off the sim. 

“So...are you really doing alright?” Wade repeated, his expression still painfully serious.

“I...guess? I’m just worried about Ms. Danvers.” Peter confessed, pulling off his mask and raking a hand through his hair. “It’s been two days, Wade, and we haven’t heard from her or...or Beck.”

“Ah, right. The bearded asshole.” Wade acknowledged, coaxing a smile from his companion. “From what Eye-patch and Holo-Stark have told me, he’s just a guy. I’m sure Danvers will punch her way out of whatever cage he put her in no time.”  
  


“Heh, it’s a nice thought.” Peter admitted with a chuckle. Again, Wade was right. Carol was a freaking powerhouse of a hero! Sooner or later, she’d escape, maybe even capture Beck, and everything would be just fine.

Suddenly, Peter’s comms clicked to life and Tony’s voice flooded through the speaker.

“_Pete, get to the command center now. Grab everyone you can on the way!” _

Peter and Wade glanced at each other before both sprinting out the door. Minutes later, the rest of the Avengers were assembled in the command center where Tony and Fury stood before the main screen, which was now showing a bright red light in what looked like Queens. 

“We’ve got a bead on Danvers.” Fury announced, gesturing towards the screen behind him. “The tracking chip in her suit activated a good hour ago.”

“So, what’s the game plan?” Sam asked, eyeing the pair expectantly.

“_You, Rhodes, and I will be the eyes in the sky and last resort.” _ Tony answered, before gesturing to a building a few blocks away from the dot. “_Peter, Scott, Wanda, and Wilson will be stationed here, and will move up once we give the all clear.” _

“WaitwaitwaitWAIT!” Wade interjected, waving his hands around energetically. “I’m coming on this mission? Am-am I technically an Avenger now?!”

“_Told ya he was gonna ask.” _ Tony snarked, while Fury just groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“We’ll discuss it later. For now, grab your gear and get to the Quinjet in the next five minutes.”

The group began to disperse, gradually emptying out and leaving only Tony and Peter in the command center. Eventually, the genius noticed the webslinger and quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

“_You ok, kid?” _ He asked, seemingly bringing Peter back to reality, the younger man managing an awkward chuckle. 

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine, Mr. Stark.” He replied, before glancing back at the bright, flashing dot on the screen. “I just have this weird feeling...like something bad is gonna happen.”

“_Peter Tingle? _ ” Tony asked, before laughing and correcting himself. “_Oh right. I mean “Spidey-Sense”?” _

“Not exactly.” Peter answered with a mock scowl. “Just...a bad feeling.”

“_Well, tell you what. I’ll be on high alert, then.” _ Tony assured his protégé . , before waving his hand dismissively. “_For now, just grab your gear kid. It’s time we save your girlfriend.” _

“WHAT?! S-she’s not-ugh, fine!” Peter sputtered before stomping off, Tony laugher echoing behind him. As he marched towards the hanger bay, he mentally checked himself. Maybe Tony was right.

Maybe nothing would go wrong.

Maybe.


	7. The Trick P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers launch their rescue mission, and Beck enacts his plan. Shit's about to hit the fan.

“Mr. Stark, have you found Ms. Danvers yet?” Peter asked over the comms as he waited alongside the rest of his team for the all clear signal. Scott and Wanda both kelt by the edge of the roof, also waiting on a response from their airborne allies while Wade did another once over of his new gear.

Obviously, the Avengers couldn’t be in the company of a gun toting nutcase, so instead they were in the company of an non-lethal weapon wielding nutcase. In other words, Fury supplied Wade with I.C.E.R. pistols in place of his usual guns, though he insisted on keeping his katanas.

“_Nothing yet, kid.” _ Tony reported. “_Her chip is still active, but we can’t get a visual.” _

“So why don’t we just rush it?” Wade asked as he holstered his I.C.E.R.’s and joined Peter. “I mean, they’re not expecting us.”

“_We don’t know what we’re walking into, Wilson!” _ Rhodes interjected, clearly annoyed. “_Tony got a headcount from EDITH, and over fifty drones were reported unaccounted for after the attack in London. We think Beck’s got them hooked up to some private server now.” _

“Those drones have all kinds of tech on them. If they swarm us, we could get overwhelmed.” Wanda mused as she watched the streets below, scanning for any irregularities that would indicate the team had been spotted. “As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Wade. We should move in now, while we still have the element of surprise.”

“Finally, someone understands my genius!” The merc cheered, earning a smile from all his grounded teammates. “So, we got to go, Stark?”

“_Ugh...fine. Start your approach, _ ** _quietly_ ** _ .” _Tony instructed. “_We don’t need to give ourselves away too early.” _

“Roger-dodger, shellhead! We’ll keep it stealthy.” Wade promised as he unsheathed his katanas, and gestured to the next rooftop. “Onwards, merry men! To victory!”

The Avengers collectively rolled their eyes at the merc’s theatrics, but started to converge on the distant compound nonetheless. Wade himself prepared to jump the gap before pausing and glancing at Peter, who was instead staring at the compound with an uncertain expression on his face.

“Hey, you ok, Peter?”

Wade’s words seemed to bring the webslinger back to reality, and he hastily shot the merc a grin before pulling down his mask.

“Yep, all set. Let’s go get Ms. Danvers.”

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Carol’s eyes shot open violently as her knees met the ground. A series of ragged breaths erupted from her throat, echoing in the now pitch black lab she was being held in. She slowly rose to her feet, and buried her face in her hands momentarily. She just needed a few seconds to think. Just a few...

_ Wait. _

Carol looked down at her freed hands, and squeezed them to get her blood flowing. She...she was free. There must have been some kind of power outage. Maybe...maybe the rest of the Avengers had found her!

“Oh, Danvers!” 

  
Suddenly, Carol was back on edge, and she whipped around to face Beck, who stood in the entrance of the room with a smug grin on his face. She registered that he was wearing that weird suit Fury had shown her, cape and all. 

  
“Hands up, Beck. I’m taking you in.” She spat venomously, even more enraged when the man started to laugh, still grinning ear to ear.

“Really? Are you now?” He asked mockingly, before taking off into the air and equipping his dommed helmet. “Well, tell you what. You can take me. You just gotta catch me first.”

Then Beck whizzed over her head, and flew down the hallway behind Carol faster than a bullet. Another growl slipped past Carol’s lips as energy began to outline her body as she rose into the air, before taking off after the illusionist. As the pair zipped through the hallways of the complex, Beck activated his comm from within the lab and pinged William.

“She’s taken the bait. Are our friends getting closer?”

  
“_Yes, yes. The Avengers are almost on top of us!” _William confirmed frantically. Beck just grinned, and turned on his heel to leave the lab.

“Alright. Send them out.”

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“_Tony, heat signatures within the compound are spiking!” _Falcon reported, making the ground team come to a halt on the final rooftop before the building before them. Seconds later, a storm of drones flew out of all the windows in the compound, shooting at both the heroes and the civilians on the streets below them.

“_SHIT! Sam, Wanda, Scott, protect those civilians!” _ Tony barked over comms. “_Peter, take Wade and get inside the compound and find Danvers!” _

“What’s your job then, Stark?!” Wade yelled as he fired a few shots at an approaching drone, taking it down in seconds.

“_I’m tracking the transmitting signal of the drones. I’m gonna shut them down manually.” _

With that, the comm line went dead, and the Avengers got to work. Scott and Wanda vaulted over the side of the building and started protecting the civilians on the streets, while Rhodey and Sam engaged in dogfights with stray patches of drones.

“Wade, c’mon!” Peter shouted, shooting a web over to Beck’s compound as the Merc ran over. Once he had hold of the web, the pair swung over to the entrance of the building, and sprinted inside.

“You got Danvers location, Web-head?” Wade asked as he reloaded his I.C.E.R. and sloppily duct taping a flashlight to the gun do that he could see in the dark hallways of the complex. 

“Yeah, just give me a second. Karen! Could you pull up the mab, please?” Peter requested, causing his lenses to glow a brighter shade of blue. “Oh! Good news, Wade! It looks like she’s headed our way! Really, uh, really fast too.”  
  


Sure enough, something rounded the corner ahead of them and raced towards the pair. Before they could react, it crashed into Peter, making him stumble slightly. He looked around widely, only to realize whatever had collided with him had disappeared.

“Um, what the fuck was that?” Wade asked, genuinely dumbfounded. Any answer was cut off as another shape rounded the corner, one much brighter. Peter locked eyes with the figure, and allowed a relieved smile to rise behind his mask.

“Carol?”

\---------------

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\---------------

“William. It’s time.” 

Beck watched in giddy excitement as he watched Carol approached Parker and whatever other idiot Avenger was with him. This was it. The thing that would make it all the setbacks worth it.

_ “Alright, transferring target signature...and locked.” _

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\---------------

“C’mon, Danvers! Is this really all you have?”

The flames surrounding Carol grew brighter as she glared at the man before her, energy curling excitedly at her fists. 

“I’m going to fucking demolish you, Beck.” She spat, raising her fist and shooting a blast of energy at him. He sidestepped the blast easily, though somewhere in the back of Carol’s mind, she swore she heard the blast hit something. 

“Man, you must have been a really shitty soldier with aim like that.” Beck snarked, still smirking. **Still. Smug.**

With that, something within Carol snapped, and she roared in rage and charged him, determined to shut him up **permanently**.

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\---------------

“Ms. Danvers? Are you ok?” Peter asked, taking a cautionary step back. After he had truly taken in the hybrid’s appearance, he had realized how pissed off she looked. Even now, flames crept along her body as she sneered at him.

“I’m going to fucking demolish you, Beck.”

Peter’s mind went blank as he registered those words. What the hell was she talking about? Beck wasn’t here!

Then it clicked. It was the illusion tech! Beck had tricked her into thinking that he was Beck!

Suddenly, his spider-sense rang seconds later as a blast of energy flew towards him. Before he could move, Wade shoved him aside and took the brunt of the blast, sending him flying back out into the streets.

“WADE!” Peter cried, before turning back to Carol and raising his hands defensively. “C-carol, please. Y-you don’t have to do this.”

Whatever Carol heard, it wasn’t Peter’s pleas. She let out a roar of raged, and charged him, determined to shut him up **permanently**.


	8. The Trick P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and the Avengers clash with a confused Carol, and Tony tracks down Beck. However, the battle comes at a heavy cost.

The battle raged outside of beck’s compound, with the Avengers starting to pull into the lead. At least half of the drones Beck had stolen were now destroyed, with the rest retreating back towards the compound itself.

“Stark, we’ve pushed the drones back!” Wanda reported, throwing a ball of energy right into a another drone, sending it spiraling into the ground and exploding. “Have you heard from Peter or Wade?”

“_Not yet.” _ Tony replied, still soaring towards the signal transmitting to the drones. “_Just buy me another minute!” _

Before Wanda could respond, a deafening explosion rocked the entrance of the compound, catching the attention of all heroes present. Out of the flames, the form of Peter Parker stumbled out onto the street, hauling behind him what looked like Wade Wilson.

“Peter!” Scott called out, before starting to approach the webslinger alongside his fellow Avengers. However, Peter quickly waved them away, his voice loud and shrill.

“NO, GET BACK!” He cried, not noticing the rumble of energy from the flames behind him. “BECK’S TRICKING HER! HE’S TRICKING-”

The rest of Peter’s warning was cut off as Carol Danvers collided with him full force, throwing him into a far building. He managed to stick the landing, managing to fire of a few webs at the approaching hybrid before she grabbed him by his arm and yanked him off the building.

Pain shot through his left arm as Carol threw him again, this time colliding with another building and crashing through its wall. She started to advance on him again, only to pause as a red glow enveloped her body.

“Carol, stop!” Wanda demanded, restraining her fellow Avenger with ease. “You’re not thinking straight, you just need to-AH!”

Wanda’s grip on Carol weakened as a bullet collided with her arm, fired by on of the remaining drones, who had reengaged the Avengers. The shock was enough to allow Carol to spin around and fire a single blast into the witch, sending her flying and allowing the captain to continue her assault on Peter.

Within the now battered and shuddering building, Peter allowed a series of ragged, pained breaths to escape his mouth as hid in an abandoned apartment.

“K-karen, vitals scan please.” He whispered, disconcerted that his left arm wasn’t responding to him. 

_ “You have three cracked ribs, a broken toe, and minor internal bleeding. Also, your left arm is completely out of its socket.” _ Karen reported, her synthetic voice tense with worry for her user. “ _ I would recommend leaving the battlefield. You’re in no condition to fight.” _

“Yeah...yeah, I think you’re right.” Peter muttered, wiping the dribble of blood that had started to leak from his mouth and attempting to sit up. As much as he hated running away, he knew he couldn’t fight anyone with a dislocated arm. “Call Tony, tell him I’m gonna wait at the evac point unti-”

In the middle of Peter’s instructions, the wall behind him exploded into a show of brick and dust, sending him to the ground. He cried out as pain shot up both his arm and leg, followed by a hand latching onto his suit, and throwing him back against another wall hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Before he could recover, a hand wrapped around his throat, leaving him breathless as Carol hefted him into the air.

“I’m done listening to your shit, Beck.” She growled, eyes burning a fiery yellow. “**You’re** **done**.”

“C-carol, please listen!” Peter wheezed, squeezing the woman’s hands in an attempt to loosen her grip. “I’m not Beck! He’s t-tricking you! It’s just the drones! Please!”  
  


For a moment, the briefest expression of recognition flickered in Carol’s eyes. Almost like she was pushing past the illusion. Then that snarl reappeared, and she punched Peter full force. It took every ounce of strength he had not to howl in pain as something in his chest _ cracked _audibly_. _

“You’re not gonna hurt him. Never again.” Carol promised, before she listed her free hand and curled it into a fist, allowing energy to wash over it as she did so. “Never. Again.”

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“That’s right, Carol. Finish it.” Beck hummed from the car that he and William watched the fight through the cameras on the drones. “End that meddling little idiot, once and for all.”

Suddenly, the feed went out and the car came to a sudden stop. Any objections Beck had were squashed as an armored hand shot through his door, and yanked him out from the vehicle. Seconds later, the car itself flipped over violently and skidded to a halt several feet away, leaving beck on the side of the road, still in the grasp of the armored hand.

“_Hey there, Beck. _”

The illusionist flinched at the words, recognizing the voice they came from. Slowly, he tilted his head to face Stark, the red and gold of his armor shining in the dimming sunset. He didn’t need to see that man’s face to see the enraged look in his eyes.

“_Let’s go for a ride, pal.” _

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“I’m done listening to your shit, Beck.” Carol growled, pinning the man to the wall and taking hold of his throat. She had finally caught him, after all that running. “**You’re** **done**.”

“Wait, wait! Easy there, captain! I’m sure your new bosses wouldn’t like it if you killed me!” He sputtered, clearly terrified. Rightfully so. Still, Carol considered his words. She know that she had a duty to turn him into the proper authorities. All thoughts of mercy ceased, however, as Beck continued with a sinister grin on his face. “Of course, you let me live and I’ll come right on back. I will do whatever it takes to make sure all your friends die around you. Starting with Parker.”

And just like that, something in Carol broke. Her hand shot out before she could think better of it, colliding with the man’s chest and making him wheeze in pain. She tried to ignore the sadistic enjoyment she felt following the punch as she raised her other fist, prepared to finish this once and for all.

“You’re not gonna hurt him. Never again.” She promised, hoping that if Peter did hear about what she was about to do, he’d forgive her. “Never. Again.”

She pulled back, prepared to throw the punch…

And then the world around her shattered.

Everything flashed an obnoxious, blinding blue, followed by the sound of metal colliding with the ground. After regaining her senses, she glanced around and noticed several drones scattered amongst the area, all deactivated. 

“C-carol?” 

The word cut through the air like a knife, and as Carol turned her head towards the area it came from, her heart shattered. Peter Parker watched her fearfully, trembling as blood leaked from his nose and mouth. The pieces connected in her mind, and she released him allowed both her hands to shoot over her mouth as the horrifying realization hit her.

_ She hit him. She _ ** _hurt _ ** _ him. _

_ She almost killed him. _

“Peter.” She whispered, taking a step back, trembling slightly. “I-I didn’t know...I-”

Any other words died before they could reach her mouth as Peter slumped to the ground, prompting her to rush forward in an attempt to support him. As she did so, his eyes flicked to hers, the briefest flash of fear reaching them before they fluttered closed, and he drifted off into unconsciousness.

Outside, the Avengers stood on guard despite the sudden deactivation of the drones. After a few seconds, Sam activated his comms and pinged Tony.

“Tony, we’re all good here. I’m guessing you cut off the signal?” 

“_Yup. Drones are all down.” _ Tony replied, a smirk audible in his tone. “_And I ran into a certain someone trying to made a getaway.” _

Seconds later, a familiar hum filled the air as the Iron Man suit landed in the street, holding a now restrained Beck. 

“Well, look who finally bit off more than he could chew.” Scott quipped, receiving a glare from the illusionist before opening his own comm. “I’ll contact Barnes and tell him we need pick up.”

“Tell him to send some moist towelettes!” Wade demanded from his spot on the ground, slapping duct tape over what was left of his legs and right arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “I’m making a bit of a mess here.”

  
“Wait...wait a second.” Wanda interrupted, a look of realization rising on her face. “Where are Peter and Carol?”

The street went completely silent following the witch’s words, before Beck started to laugh. A low, amused chuckle bubbled up from his chest, hitching laughs echoing off the surrounding buildings. Tony hefted the man off his feet, and turned him around so he could look the illusionist in the eyes.

“_What the hell did you do, Beck?” _He growled, his repulsors humming in preparation. Beck just nodded over Tony’s shoulder and continued to laugh. Tony dropped the man, and whipped around, thee sight before him making whatever heart he had lurch in his chest.

Carol stumbled out of a ruined apartment building, clutching a bleeding and broken looking Peter Parker, who’s arm hung lifelessly at his side. She made eye contact with the nearest Avenger, and only managed a single, broken word.

“Help.”


	9. The Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise in the Avengers compound, as do emotions.

“So, this is it, huh?” Beck mused from within his cell, staring at the man watching him on the other side. “After all the trouble you went through to capture me, you’re just gonna fork me over to the UN.”

“That’s the deal.” Fury confirmed, as stoic as ever. “As much as I’d love to put you in some dark room somewhere and let you rot, rules exist. And these days, we really gotta follow them.”

“You couldn’t just let me have it, could you?” Beck asked, irritation seeping into his tone. “I could have been something. A symbol. A hero. And you threw that all away!” 

“...Stark was right. You really are batshit crazy..” Fury mused, the smallest smile rising on his face. “Let me ask you something, Mr. Beck. If you really became a hero, how would you fight an Avengers level threat?”

Beck’s sharp retort died before it reached his mouth as he considered the spy’s words. The momentary silence allowed Fury to answer the question himself.

“You couldn’t. Even if you got yourself appointed as an Avenger or any other kind of hero, the moment you faced a genuine threat you didn't create, you would be completely fucked. Your illusion would falter. You’d be dead.” 

Beck didn’t have a comeback for that. No witty remarks or spiteful insults. Just stunned silence. Fury decided that this was the end of the conversation, and turned to leave. He made it to the door before Beck spoke again, his tone far to pleased.

“It wasn’t all for nothing, though.” He mused, a thin, sadistic grin rising on his face. “I still took care of Parker.”

For a few brief moments, Fury didn’t move a muscle. Then slowly, his hand rose to the keypad on the side of the door, and typed in a series of numbers. The door clicked open, and he walked out, leaving the illusionist to his cold, metal prison. Tony was waiting outside, a screen being projected from one hand as he watched it intently, barely noticing the spy’s arrival for the first few moments.

“So, when is Ross coming to pick him up?” 

“_Once he stopped gaping at me, he said that he’ll bring a team to pick him up tomorrow.” _ Tony replied crisply, still watching the screen in his hand. “_Apparently, he couldn’t make it out tonight. Something about a security council meeting.” _

“How’s the team fairing?” Fury asked, ignoring the glare he received in response. They both knew that usually he wasn’t one to sit and chat, but after today...it didn’t really hurt, did it?

“_Wanda’s fine, bullet that hit her went right out the other end. She’s all patched up now.” _ Tony reported, finally letting the screen disappear. “_Wade has become a terrifying amalgamation thanks to his baby legs and baby arm. He insists it is not as painful as it looks, but I don’t believe him.” _

A brief void of silence passed between the pair before Fury finally asked the question Tony was dreading the most.

“And how is Parker?”

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Peter’s eyes opened slowly, initially rejecting the beaming lights above before making another slow attempt. He sat up slowly, shocked to find that his body only reacted in minor discomfort to these movements. He soon recognized the room around him to be the Avengers medical bay.

“Hey, you’re awake!” 

Peter turned his head and jumped slightly as Wade waved at him from his bed. His presence wasn’t surprising, but his miniature legs and smaller than normal arm were a bit disconcerting.

“Um...hey Wade.” He greeted, smiling weakly as he lifted himself higher. “Are...you ok?”

“Pssh, I’m fine.” Wade assured him, while waving the baby hand and ultimately making the assurance worthless. “Besides, I was about to ask you the same thing! You’re the one who got tossed around like a rag doll.”

Peter flinched slightly at the mention of the incident, resulting in Wade actually looking semi-apologetic for once. Still, he pushed through and shrugged his shoulders loosely.

“I mean, I’m not in agonizing pain or anything. Just a bit uncomfortable.”

“Heh, yeah. That second one is definitely going around.” Wade mused with a grimace, catching peter’s attention. “The team...well, _ your _team, is a little divided over ol’ Firefist.”

Peter’s heart lurched as he realized who the merc was referring to, and hefted his legs off his bad and onto the ground.

“Carol…”

“AH, AH, AH, AH!” Wade exclaimed, surprising Peter and nearly making him fall off the bed. “No way, hose! You are staying in that bed until you’re one-hundred percent healed.”

“_I’m afraid Mr. Wilson is correct, Peter.” _ Friday chimed in from above. “_Mr Stark has actively enforced it as a rule.” _

Peter frowned openly with this news, but reorganized himself as he got settled back into bed. 

“Ok, fine. But as soon as I’m healed, I need to talk to her.” He insisted.

“Whatever you say, buddy!” Wade chirped happily, mirroring the web-slinger’s movement and lying back down to let his healing factor do it’s work.

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Carol Danvers sat on the edge of the roof on the Avengers headquarters, allowing her legs to dangle freely in the cold night air. She was desperately trying to remember the breathing exercises she and Monica had used back in the academy to keep themselves calm.

_Breath in, then out. In, out. _

She recited the words mentally, calming herself momentarily. It was ok, everything was fine.

And then she saw his face again. His terrified expression as her left hand held his throat and her right one burned in preparation to strike him. And then she heard his voice.

_C-carol? _

He breathing got faster, and her hands dug into the cold concrete of the rooftop as she continued to spiral. 

_You’re disgusting, Danvers. _ She scolded herself. _ You almost killed him. An innocent boy. You were _ ** _enjoying _ ** _ yourself, weren’t you? You sick fuck. _

_It wasn’t...I didn’t know… _ She argued with herself internally. _ I thought he was Beck! _

_Oh, ‘cause that makes it _ ** _so _ ** _ much better! _ The voice spat in return. _ You’re not fit to be an Avenger, let alone a hero. _ ** _YOU COULD HAVE KILLED PETER._ **

**“I KNOW!” **

It took Carol a moment to realize she had shouted these words aloud, a luminescent blush creeping up her face as she cradled her head in her hands and allowed tears to flow freely.

_I could have killed him. I could have killed Peter. _

_ … _

_ I’m so sorry. _

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Peter was near silent as he snuck out of the medical bay, careful not to disturb the sleeping Wade, whose limbs were now almost back to normal size. Now wandering the corridors of the compound, he walked a bit more freely as he searched for Carol.

“C’mon, where is she?” he muttered to himself after a few good minutes of searching. He briefly considered just going to his room when a shout from above caught his attention.

**“I KNOW!” **

Peter recognized that voice! As fast as his legs could carry him, he raced to the nearest stairwell and made a beeline for the roof. He reached it in half a minute, and as he rounded the corner, he was met by a startling sight.

Carol Danvers sat on the edge of the room, head in her hands and openly sobbing. Peter’s heart ached at the sight of the woman he liked in such a state, so he did the only thing he could think of.

“Carol?”

The captain’s sobs stopped abruptly as he head whipped up and she met his gaze. Almost immediately, she was on her feet, gawking at him with a stunned expression.

“P-peter?!” She cried, hastily wiping her eyes and backing away from him. “W-what are you doing here? You should be resting!”

“I wanted to visit you.” He started earnestly, advancing on her slowly. “Besides, I’m fine! I’m not really hurt anymore. Well, at least not badly.”

These were clearly the wrong words to say, as Carol shook her head violently and laughed in a delirious manner.

“No. No, no, no! You’re not safe around me!” She insisted, now almost to the edge of the roof again, while still facing Peter. “I-I almost killed you!”

The words stung like a punch, (unsurprisingly), but Peter continued to advance, closing the gap a bit faster now.

“It wasn’t your fault! Beck tricked you!”

“Peter, just get awa-”

Carol’s words morphed into a shout of surprise as she stepped back and met only air. She started to fall backward, and mentally braced for the pain that would follow her fall. Suddenly, two arms shot around her waist and yanked her forward. Suddenly, she found herself chest-to-chest with Peter, who gazed at her with an expression of simultaneous fear and wonder. Specifically, at her lips.

“P-peter?”

_ This is a bad idea. _ He warned himself mentally. _ You could ruin your friendship. You could get her in trouble. Don’t be an idiot, Peter. Just let her go. _

Slowly, Peter’s hands left the pilot’s waist, and he leaned back slightly. He knew that he couldn’t do that, as much as he wanted to. So, he talked instead.

“You don’t need to be sorry.” He murmured, his sharp brown eyes meeting hers. “I know you’d never hurt me on purpose...I forgive you, Carol.”

For several seconds, she just stared at him, almost like she was expecting a punchline to a bad joke. It never came. Then she did something, something that easily could have been pure instinct, raw emotion, or both at once.

She pulled Peter closer, and she kissed him.


	10. The Start Of Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Carol navigate their new relationship, and Tony has a talk with both of them.

The spider and captain stayed like that for some amount of time neither could quite register. It could have been seconds, or minutes, or hours. Eventually, they separated, if only for the prospect of running out of air. They met each other’s eyes, simply stared for a time as panicked thoughts raced through their heads.

_ What the hell was I thinking?! He’s not even eighteen yet! Oh dear God, Stark’s gonna kill me. _

_ D-did she just kiss me?! Does she like me like I like her?! Oh shit, Tony’s gonna kill me. _

Gradually, the thoughts slowed back down, and the pair came back to reality. They watched each other for any sign of rejection or fear. All they found hope and longing.

“This...is insane.” Carol mused numbly, coaxing an awkward smile from her partner, who shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“Yup. Hasn’t stopped either of us before though, right?” He countered, earning his a soft chuckle from the woman before him. “If it makes you feel any better, my 18th birthday is only two weeks away, so you’re not a creep or anything!”

_ Smooth, Parker. Real smooth. _He chided himself in his mind. To his surprise, however, his attempt at lightening the mood worked and Carol actually started to laugh a bit more freely.

“Well don’t you know how to make a girl feel special.” She teased, before taking a deep breath and seemingly composing herself. “Ok...so, is it fair to say we should define whatever _ this _is?”

“I mean, yeah. Whatever makes you most comfortable.” Peter agreed, making Carol smile once more. He was too accommodating for his own good.

“Ok. First off, are you really turning eighteen in two weeks?” She asked cautiously. Peter did some mental math, and nodded in confirmation.

“Technically, two weeks and three days.”

_ I can work with that. _Carol mused mentally, before shoving the growing number of inappropriate thoughts aside for the time.

“Alright. Next...how do you feel about me? Please be completely honest with me, Peter.”

The webslinger took several moments to think before he answered, his expression certain and determined.

“I...I don’t think I’ve ever felt about someone like I feel about you. I thought it was just hormones, you know. You were a beautiful, powerful woman, and I was a kid who was way out of his league. I tried to forget about you, but I could never really manage it. For months, I had this stupid crush on you...but then I got to know you.”

Carol was fully aware of the blush that rose on her face when he said that, the dorkish grin on his face making her heart beat a little funny.

“You’re cool, and funny, and smart, and absolutely gorgeous, and...and I think I love you.”

Peter met Carol’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but smile at the genuine affection his expression held. On the outside, she was composed, but on the inside she was blushing and squealing like a schoolgirl. 

She had never felt this way before, never truly felt carefree in the presence of another person. Carol knew a part of her felt the same way about Peter. That she cared for him more than just as a friend. He was adorable, and kind, and a kickass fighter, and smarter than anyone she knew, Stark included.

“Peter…” She interjected, making the boy freeze with a now nervous expression on his face. “I think I love you too.”

  
The way Peter’s face lit up as he processed Carol’s words was a sight that made her knees weak. He suddenly lurched forward, and before Carol could process what was happening, she found herself hugging him. She hummed contently in his arms, feeling happier than she had ever felt in the last few years. After about a minute of hugging, they separated. Carol smiled widely at _ her _webslinger, and asked her final question.

“So, now that we’re a thing...who gets to tell Stark?”

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Tony Stark didn’t sleep anymore. He didn’t really need to, given his current form, but it was still something that just didn’t quite sit right with him. Still, it did offer quite the opportunity.

“_ Friday, any results on the latest test?” _He asked his A.I. assistant as he performed another scan of his form, just in case the results were the same as they had been previously.

“_ I’m afraid that we still have no positive identification of how your form was created.” _The A.I. reported, resulting in a sigh from the genius. Ever since he had...appeared? Returned from the dead? He didn’t even have a proper way to describe it. 

One second, he was dying on a battlefield after snapping away Thanos and his army. The next, he was in Shuri’s lab in Wakanda, a glowing, force-ghost something. Strangest yet was his connection to electronics, which he had no way to explain.

“_ Alright. Just...start initial tests on the next sample.” _ He instructed, before a flash of blue from one of his nearby workstations caught his attention. Someone was pinging him over a secure comm. Hesitantly, he opened the transmission. “ _ Hello? Stark speaking.” _

_ “Hello, sir.” _ A feminine artificial voice answered, surprising Tony slightly. He quickly recognized the voice as Karen, Peter’s A.I. that usually resided in his suit. After her user’s injury, Tony had permitted Karen to connect to the Compound’s systems until Peter was back in fighting shape. “ _ I have something important to discuss with you regarding Peter and Miss Danvers.” _

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The next morning was a complete rush. After sneaking back into the med bay, Peter was awoken by Wade blasting an airhorn right in his ear and sent him flying out of his bed. When questioned why he did this, he insisted that he was merely checking if Peter was fully healed.

After this, Peter was escorted by Wade to the kitchen, where the merc insisted on making him celebratory pancakes. To his surprise, the man was actually a decent cook, and made over a dozen pancakes in case any of the other Avengers joined them. In the end, Wanda was the only other Avenger to partake in the pancakes, with Sam and Rhodes just grabbing coffee.

At one point or another, Carol joined them and started chatting with Peter, trading casual quips with the boy as he ate. Based on the surprise looks this prompted from their teammates, the pair explained that they had “made up” after the previous day’s incident. Despite Wade’s inappropriate remarks on what that could mean, the news was actually taken pretty well. At least, until Tony appeared and asked if he could “have a word” with Carol. The pair exchanged a glance before Carol left with Tony. Since then, Peter hadn’t seen her.

  
And then the moment of truth came. Around noon, Secretary Thaddeus Ross arrived with squad of six soldiers to pick up Beck. Apparently, news had finally gotten out about his whole operation, and how he had framed Spider-Man for his crimes. Now he was going to be tried properly, at least according to Ross.

  
As they walked Beck out in cuffs, Peter swore the man looked up at him smirked. The motion was quick enough that he couldn’t guarantee it, however, and soon enough he was gone, as were the soldiers. Ross had spoke with Fury before leaving, and while Peter didn't catch the conversation itself, he could tell from the look on Fury’s face when it ended that it must have been pretty serious.

And finally, that brought him back to the present. Now he was standing outside of the lab, tapping his foot nervously as he waited for Tony to open the door. The man had sent him a simple message that said, “We need to talk. Lab at 3:00”. Unwilling to risk upsetting his mentor, he did as he was asked, and waited. After a few minutes, the door opened, and Peter stepped inside. Tony stood at a nearby workbench, and glanced at Peter as he entered, flashing the webslinger a small smile.

“_ Hey, Pete. Could you, uh, sit here for a second?” _ He asked casually. Peter nodded slowly, and sat at the seat across from Tony. After releasing a heavy sigh, Tony spoke again. “ _ I’m sorry about the theatrics, I’m just...I’m trying to make sure I get an honest answer.” _

“It’s...ok, Mr. Stark.” Peter assured him, mustering up a small smile. “But...what honest answer are you looking for?”

“_ Oh, we both know kid.” _ Tony retorted with a slight smirk. “ _ Karen may or may not have tattle on you regarding your...well, your incident last night with _ _ Twinkle Fists.” _

Peter tensed slightly, but kept his cool as he crossed his arms and sent the holographic man a defiant look.

“How much do you know?”

“_ Well, I’d like to say enough, but that’d be a lie.” _ Tony quipped, his smile thinning slightly. “ _ Just tell me if what you said to her was true, Peter.” _

“It was.” Peter replied swiftly. “Every word. I know it’s really weird, but I...I love her. And she loves me. And we’re both willing to make it work.”

Tony stared at his surrogate son for several moments, before releasing a heavy sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“_ I’m getting too old for this.” _ He muttered to himself, before looking back to Peter with a more genuine smile. “ _ Ok...ok. If this is as real as you say, than...pass along my blessing to Danvers.” _

“Y-you mean it?!” Peter exclaimed, shooting out of his seat while beaming at the older man. Tony chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm, and nodded in confirmation.

“_ I mean it. Just promise me no funny business until you’re eighteen!” _

“Funny business?” Peter asked with a smirk, making his mentor avert his gaze. 

“_ You know what I mean. Devil’s Tango, Horizontal Mombo...Jesus, fucking Peter! No fucking until you’re eighteen!” _

Peter wheezed audibly before sinking into uncontrollable laughter following Tony’s flustered outburst. Tony himself just shook his head and muttered something about how teenagers were the worst before teleporting to command center to be briefed by Fury regarding Ross’s intel.


	11. The New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter makes a new friend while helping May move back into their apartment, and the Avengers deal with some troubling news.

Two weeks passed in a flash, and suddenly Peter was three days away from becoming an adult. He had initially insisted on having a small party, mainly including the present Avengers, May, Happy, and his friends from school. Tony and May were both hesitant on the subject of his classmates, but with some convincing, they both relented.

Peter hummed contently as he tinkered with his web shooters, adjusting the calibration yet again after his last spar with Scott. Tony was also working nearby, throwing screens left and right as he analyzed the data Ross and Fury had sent over to the Compound.

In the weeks that had passed since Beck’s stunt, the world had kept turning and more potential threats were appearing throughout the world. A H.Y.D.R.A. cell in Russia attacked an armory, and stole a prototype rifle that fired a compact version of Tony’s repulsor tech. There had been an incident at the Raft, and two prisoners had escaped. And finally...there was A.I.M.

The reports of A.I.M. 's renewed activity had started just after the Blip, and since then both sightings of their agents and their tech had slowly increased. They were growing bolder over time, and with more and more of their operations succeeding, it was starting to get worrying.

“ _ As much as I hate to admit it, it was stupid of me to expect A.I.M. would just disappear without Killion’s leadership. _ ” Tony admitted, his brow furrowed and a frown on his face. “ _ Some people just don’t know when to call it quits, apparently.” _

“Hey, you’ve dealt with worse, right?” Peter quipped, earning him a grin from the genius across the room. Before the banter continued, a new screen appeared before the armored Avenger, surprising him. As he read the contents on the screen, however, his eyes lit up and a smile rose on his face.

_ “Huh. Seems like you’re gonna have a few more guests for your party, Pete. _ ” He mused with a grin, before continuing off the teen’s confused expression. “ _ Seems ol’ Firefist invited Thor and the Guardians to your party.” _

Peter’s eyes widened, and he motioned for Tony to show him the screen. With a flick of his wrist, the genius moved the screen to the webhead’s workspace, allowing him to read it. Sure enough, the message confirmed that both the God of Thunder and the Guardian’s were returning to Earth for a few weeks of well deserved rest. Since Carol had mentioned Peter’s party, Thor insisted on “Finally meeting the Man of Spiders properly!”.

It was an unfortunate fact that he and Thor never really got to meet each other. After the fight in Germany, Tony told Peter about how Thor was off hunting magical stones and wouldn’t be back for a while. And after everything that had happened post-snap? Peter didn’t really know how to approach him at the funeral, and after that, he left with the Guardians as they returned to space.

“Wow...so I’ll actually get to meet Thor properly this time?” He asked excitedly, promoting a chuckle from Tony, pleased to see the kid in high spirits. 

_ “Seems like it. Plus, you and I will get to have a little reunion with the Guardians. _ ” He suggested, earning another grin from the younger man. “ _ You think they’re still...well, them?” _

“Unfortunately, yeah.” The webslinger joked, before the buzzing of his phone caught his attention. He picked it up, and read the new message with a smile. “I gotta go. May and Happy are in the lobby, we’re helping May move back in.”

“ _ Alright. Stay safe out there, Peter.”  _ Tony requested, his grin thinning slightly. “ _ I know that with Beck in prison, everyone knows the truth, but...you and I both know some people tend to hold onto things they really shouldn’t. _ ”

“I know, Tony. I’ll stay safe.” Peter replied, earning another chuckle from his mentor as he exited the lab. “See you in a few hours!”

“ _ See you then, kiddo.”  _ Tony said, before yet another screen popped up next to him, a transmission request from Fury. Without a second thought, he answered the call and greeted the former spy. “ _ Morning, eyepatch. Got any good news for a change?” _

_ “ _ ** _I’m afraid not._ ** _ ”  _ Fury answered his expression dark and serious...though that wasn’t really unusual. “ ** _There’s been a development at the Raft. Beck’s gone._ ** ”

**Line Break**

“So...you’re moving back into the apartment?”

Peter found himself conflicted as he helped his aunt carry her luggage back into what had been their home about a month before. She had actually broken the news a few days beforehand, that after a long conversation with their landlord, he agreed to have her move back in. 

“Yep. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but...I didn’t know how’d you react.” She defended, smiling sadly. “Happy and the others tried their best, but it just didn’t feel right living at the Compound.”

“Yeah, I know. Just...I’m gonna miss you.” Peter replied, shifting awkwardly as the elevator came to a stop, releasing them onto their floor. “I’ll come visit every weekend. I promise.”

“That sounds nice, but don’t stress yourself out!” The elder Parker ordered playfully, still grinning. “I know that you’ve gotten really close with the Avengers. I think it’s only fair that you spend more time with them. They’re your family too.”

“Yeah...yeah, they are.” The webslinger agreed, before coming to stop outside the apartment. A few seconds later, May unlocked the door and the two stepped inside. 

“Seems like the place is still in good shape.” She mused, before putting down her luggage and turning back to her nephew with a hopeful smile. “Do you mind checking on Happy? There were still a few bags left, and I’m not sure he can get them all.”

“Yeah, sure May!” Peter chirped, dropping his own bag before leaving his apartment and starting for the elevator. He only made it a few feet, however, before another apartment’s door opened up and smacked him in the face, sending him to the ground. 

“Oh, shit! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!” A new voice cried, before a hand appeared in front of the teen. He grabbed it, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, revealing a girl around his age with light brown skin and chocolate brown hair. 

“It’s fine, I should’ve been more careful.” He insisted, before noticing that the girl’s expression had become one of surprise. “Um...something wrong?”

“It’s...you...holy crap.” She sputtered, before raising her hands up into the air in an excited motion. “You’re Spider-Man!”

In that moment, Peter completely blanked. He knew that with his identity to the world, he would be recognized in public. It was only a matter of time. Still, he wasn’t sure what to do now. Confirm it? Walk away?

“Um...yeah. I am.” He confirmed awkwardly, before menially chiding himself. To his surprise, the girl squealed with excitement, practically bouncing on her feet with a giddy grin on her face.

“OMG, I can’t believe it’s really you!” She exclaimed, eyes wide and full of excitement. “I’m a huge fan of your work! You’re my favorite superhero!”

“Whoa...r-really?” Peter queried, his own smile rising. “I mean, thanks! I never really thought I had any fans, honestly.”

“Are you kidding?! You fight crime and defeat villains, you help everyday people who need it!” The girl listed, before snapping her fingers as though she remembered something. “Oh, shoot! I completely forgot my manners. Sorry, um...I’m Kamala.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Peter.” He greeted, extending his hand to her. Kamala took it after a second’s hesitation, shaking it vigorously. “And I’m honored to be your favorite superhero!”

Before the conversation could progress further, the elevator at the end of the hall opened, revealing a winded Happy, who was juggling several bags of luggage. Both teens immediately moved to assist the man, who offered them a thankful smile.

“God, I’m glad I didn’t have to take the stairs.” He joked, adjusting his grip on the remaining bags, and shooting Peter a curious look. “Who’s the girl?”

“Oh, uh...Happy, this is Kamala, May’s neighbor.” Peter introduced, followed by a wave from the girl in question. “Kamala, this is Happy. He works as the head of security at the Avengers Compound. He’s also kinda sorta my aunt’s boyfriend.” 

“Wow, cool! I-I mean, the security part, not the aunt part.” Kamala babbled, making the webhead chuckle. She seemed a bit awkward, but in a humorous way. Adorkable was really the first word to come to mind. “So, you need any help with more bags?”

“No, this is the last load.” Happy replied, hefting up the bags once more and approaching the Parker apartment. “I’ll be back for those last two in sec. Just gotta drop these off.”

“Alright, Happy. I’ll be right there.” Peter called, before turning back to Kamala and flashing her a polite smile. “I should probably go help him. It was nice to meet you, Kamala.”

“Oh, uh...yeah. It was nice meeting you too.” She replied hesitantly, a conflicted expression on her face. Suddenly, she started speaking again. “Hey, I-I know this is a bit sudden, but...could I get your phone number?”

Peter blinked, the sudden question catching him off-guard. Before he even had a chance to answer, the other teenager steamrolled on, shooting off words a mile per minute. 

“And not like in a weird way or anything, I mean we just met and that’d be weird, like super weird and you’re just really cool and an actual superhero and I’d really like to get to know you but if that’s too much I totally get it and if I’m over stepping I’m so so sorry-”

“Yes, it’s alright!” Peter interrupted, stopping the girl’s rambles in their tracks. “I mean, yeah. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t. Could you tell me your number?”

“Y-yeah, sure!” Kamala chirped, hastily taking out her phone and listing her number. Peter typed down the numbers diligently, before posting his phone and smiling once more at his new friend.

“Alright, now we can talk whenever.” Peter stated, before picking up his bag yet again. “Again, it was nice to meet you.”   
  
“It was nice meeting you too!” Kamala chirped, before someone called her name from within her apartment. “Ah, that’s my mom. Better go help her with lunch. See you later!”

“Bye!” Peter replied as Kamala practically skipped back to her apartment, closing the door behind her. The webhead then hefted the two duffle bags up, placing both on his shoulders as he entered the Parker residence, earning him a playful scowl from Happy.

“Show off.” The older man grumbled, sparking a soft laugh from May, who kissed him on the cheek. “Well, that’s all the bags. You need any help unpacking, May?”

“No, no. I’ll be fine.” The aunt insisted, looking around the room with a nostalgic smile on her face. “I’m gonna take my time with it, maybe even order some take out. You two should start heading back to the Compound, it’s already noon.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay and help?” Happy asked again, only receiving a pointed look in response. “Ok, ok. I’ll be downstairs, kid. See you in a few.” 

“Ok, I’ll be right there, Happy.” Peter acknowledged, before approaching his aunt and wrapping her in a hug. “Bye, May. I’ll see you in two days.”

“See you then, Peter. I lurb you!” May joked, earning a chuckle from her nephew as he exited the hug, smiling warmly. 

“Lurb you too, May.”

**Line Break**

Carol exited her room, running a hand through her hair experimentally. It was starting to grow out, though it still had a ways to go before it was back to its original length. 

She made her way through the halls of the Compound, politely nodding to agents and technicians along the way. Since Quinton Beck’s capture, Fury had been bringing in more and more of his assets, be them former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or new allies that he had gained with assistance from Talos and the Guardians. The Compound, for the first time in a long time, was buzzing with activity.

“Hey, Danvers!” Sam called out as Carol made her way through the hanger, pausing as the new Avengers leader approached her. “Tony and Fury are calling us to the command center. Said they’ve got something important to tell us.”

“Yeah, Nick called me in too.” Carol replied, resuming her walk alongside the Falcon. “Any idea what this is about?”

“Not yet. Fury looked pretty pissed, but there’s never really a moment when he doesn’t.” Sam quipped as the pair finally arrived at their destination. They both entered as the door slid open, revealing Tony, Fury, Bruce Banner and T’challa inside. “Are we all here?”

“Not yet, we’re still waiting on Wade.” Tony answered, just as the doors opened and the red-clothed merc stepped inside. “Ah, right on time then. Take it away.”

“We’ve gathered you all here for a specific reason, because you are judged to be completely trustworthy with the information you are about to hear. Any objections?” The former spy asked, receiving no audible response. “Alright. Quintin Beck has escaped the Raft.”

“What?!” Carol exclaimed, her gaze flicking around the room and finding that the rest of her companions wore similar expressions. Even more surprising, Wade was the first to step forward, not offering any witty banter or his usual babbles of meaningless words. Instead, he only said one, sharp as a razer and just as deadly.

“How?”

“ _ We don’t have any positive identification yet, but our best guess is that A.I.M. had something to do with it.”  _ Tony explained, bringing up a grainy security camera shot of what looked like three armored individuals escorting a prisoner down a hallway. “ _ The attack on the Raft coordinated with another on a DoDC facility in Jersey that was holding a lot of recovered tech from the last few years. Chirati, Kree, Skrull, Inhuman, you name it. All of it was held there.” _

“So what happens now, then?” Sam asked, watching the image intently. 

“We go on high alert, discreetly.” Fury replied, waving the image away and ignoring the pointed look he got from Tony in the process. “We stay battle ready at all times, and keep an eye on Parker. We all know Beck still has an ax to grind with him.”

“Alright then. Watch the webhead like a hawk and keep the safeties off. Got it.” Wade quipped, earning an eye roll from just about everyone present. “So, we done here?”

“ _ Not quite, Wilson. We actually received a message recently from someone at  _ _ Westchester County, New York. _ ” Tony interjected, an almost sly grin rising on his face. “ _ You wouldn’t happen to know a Colossus, would you?” _

Immediately, Wade paled and his eyes went wide, and without another word, he left the room. The remaining Avengers glanced at each other in surprise, while Tony just smirked at Fury and shook his head.    
  
“ _ God, if only they would have contacted us sooner. If I had known it would have been that easy to shut him up, I would have said that weeks ago. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hey everyone. It's...been a bit.
> 
> Ok, big announcement out of the way first! This fic will no longer be continued here, and is now being finished on Fanfiction.net. Why, you may ask? Well...just cuz. 
> 
> Sorry it took so long to get back into the swing of things, but given current events, I think we've all seen better days.
> 
> Thank you for sticking around and I hope you continue to enjoy this story on Fanfiction.
> 
> Regards,  
Mega


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